[pfurey89]

Okay true, I don't want to be called a shill. I have tried everything I could get my hands on thought, this is so good. I am just amped.

 

[seamon]

Okay true, I don't want to be called a shill. I have tried everything I could get my hands on thought, this is so good. I am just amped.

Shill

 

[bvng3540]

If you buy a Solaris and don't like it, you don't like music.

That is very false, one of the member that recently sold his due to fitment, and he very much LOVE music

 

[ILyaX]

Anyways, considering myself as a borderline basshead, and my music genre is composed of 50% electronic music (techno, drone, industrial, IDM) but also some RnB, Hip Hop, Blues etc. I'll be looking into an IEM that excels in that department. I want something to remind me the thundering soundsystem in the Berghain (Berlin) !

BTW, I've read your comments about Vega's driver flex that had a significant impact in your listening which is a bit worrying. Atlas is also known for having this driver flex issue, proper to its sizeable DD.

Thanks for your input ! I'll investigate some more

Based on your music taste, I really advice you demo'ing both Atlas/Vega and Solaris, if it's possible in your area.
Listening now to Fever Ray's live recording in Lulea with Vega and it gives me such a wonderful lively feeling compared to Andromeda (I own both).
And it's also because of the prominent bass hit Vega has (but only in a records where it is present actually, nothing artificial).

I tried both Vega and Atlas in a shop and liked Vega far more, I found it's presentation rather unique. And Atlas sounded more like Andro to me.
Yesterday I listened to new VNV Nation album and Vega gave me a lot of eye-popping/jaw-dropping moments, I feel like it was made for EDM.

*Just an opinion of a deaf person as always.

 

[ILyaX]

I sold an Andro and Utopia to get this. I like it more than both. It does everything very well. The only con, and I mean only, is the size and fit. The sound is very good. Amongst the best I've heard.

Oh wow, isn't Utopia widely considered the best HP ever? I mean is Solaris really that good and can compete with a 5k$ full-size can?

 

[davidmolliere]

So I set out to test classical with Solaris to get a better feel of those mids... and... well I am blown away!
Instruments tone is spot on.

Beethoven's 5th symphony was quite an amazing experience and right now Mozart Die Zauberflöte is just nothing short of spectacular... such a grandiose presentation! Opera is a good way to show off the vocal presentation either male or female this is quite something else.

Soundstage is so grand and imaging so good well I feel like I am at a concert right now

 

[pfurey89]

Oh wow, isn't Utopia widely considered the best HP ever? I mean is Solaris really that good and can compete with a 5k$ full-size can?

Best ever? Nah. I’m sure better exists. But I did love it while I owned that headphone. These Solaris can hang. That’s so impressive to me.

 

[seamon]

Oh wow, isn't Utopia widely considered the best HP ever? I mean is Solaris really that good and can compete with a 5k$ full-size can?

Utopia is considered a Top tier yes but the best HP ever is a stretch. It has the smallest soundstage among its competitors also Treble is a little peaky. My Audeze LCD 4 also beats it in Bass and Midrange.

However, yes the Solaris can compete with $4k+ cans. Let's compare my Solaris to my LCD 4. Both have somewhat neutral signatures so that should make it easier.

Solaris has much better imaging and micro detail than my LCD 4. Micro detail is something easier to achieve with IEMs vs HPs. However, Solaris Imaging performance is legendary. In Eric Clapton's Layla I could distinctly make out the other singer throughout the whole song. I had never heard this level of Imaging and separation. LCD 4 separation is one of the best among HPs but Solaris beats it.

LCD 4 has a beautiful midrange that Solaris can't touch.

Treble is a toss up. I do like LCD 4's darker Treble but not everyone might. LCD 4 Treble is faster but Solaris has more weight.

Probably nothing can touch a good Planar for bass extension and impact but Solaris texture and bass layering is just a touch behind LCD 4. It is pretty close and Solaris is about 85-90% there.

LCD 4 has a bigger soundstage and is much more open in general.

LCD 4 is quite a bit more transparent than Solaris but there's comes an interesting conundrum.

The problem with A/Bing IEMs vs Headphones is the gear used. IEMs become incredibly hissy on desktop gear. If we ignore this then the problem is scaling. A headphone like LCD 4 will scale much better the more money one throws at the DAC + AMP but the Solaris is probably 98-99% scaled on my current gear. It's like apples to oranges really. At which point do you stop? If from the same gear then Solaris will probably be very near to LCD 4 in transparency but that hiss?

So, yes I would say Solaris can give multi-thousand dollar headphones a good run for their money. I am getting almost 95% of my desktop gear performance from my Solaris on a phone. I think I can live with that.

 

[JesusCrew]

Based on your music taste, I really advice you demo'ing both Atlas/Vega and Solaris, if it's possible in your area.
Listening now to Fever Ray's live recording in Lulea with Vega and it gives me such a wonderful lively feeling compared to Andromeda (I own both).
And it's also because of the prominent bass hit Vega has (but only in a records where it is present actually, nothing artificial).

I tried both Vega and Atlas in a shop and liked Vega far more, I found it's presentation rather unique. And Atlas sounded more like Andro to me.
Yesterday I listened to new VNV Nation album and Vega gave me a lot of eye-popping/jaw-dropping moments, I feel like it was made for EDM.

*Just an opinion of a deaf person as always.

Alright, I'll make sure to demo both. Btw, Fever Ray's leading vocal reminds me Björk a lot. Enjoyed it a lot ! Oh, and I shared an ambient-drone Spotify playlist earlier in the thread, I've a feeling you might like it

@davidmolliere Well, I've seen the Vega, Atlas and Andromeda on Son & Video website. Not sure about them demo'ing units though. Surprisingly, Vega is quoted at 1499€, while Atlas and Andro were both 1299€. That makes the Atlas the better deal here, price/perf wise. Won't make the purchase before Christmas period so fingers crossed S&V will get them by then. Y'all got me soooo hyped up by the Solaris, seems to be such a great all rounder, and a great value for the money.

 

[pfurey89]

Utopia is considered a Top tier yes but the best HP ever is a stretch. It has the smallest soundstage among its competitors also Treble is a little peaky. My Audeze LCD 4 also beats it in Bass and Midrange.

However, yes the Solaris can compete with $4k+ cans. Let's compare my Solaris to my LCD 4. Both have somewhat neutral signatures so that should make it easier.

Solaris has much better imaging and micro detail than my LCD 4. Micro detail is something easier to achieve with IEMs vs HPs. However, Solaris Imaging performance is legendary. In Eric Clapton's Layla I could distinctly make out the other singer throughout the whole song. I had never heard this level of Imaging and separation. LCD 4 separation is one of the best among HPs but Solaris beats it.

LCD 4 has a beautiful midrange that Solaris can't touch.

Treble is a toss up. I do like LCD 4's darker Treble but not everyone might. LCD 4 Treble is faster but Solaris has more weight.

Probably nothing can touch a good Planar for bass extension and impact but Solaris texture and bass layering is just a touch behind LCD 4. It is pretty close and Solaris is about 85-90% there.

LCD 4 has a bigger soundstage and is much more open in general.

LCD 4 is quite a bit more transparent than Solaris but there's comes an interesting conundrum.

The problem with A/Bing IEMs vs Headphones is the gear used. IEMs become incredibly hissy on desktop gear. If we ignore this then the problem is scaling. A headphone like LCD 4 will scale much better the more money one throws at the DAC + AMP but the Solaris is probably 98-99% scaled on my current gear. It's like apples to oranges really. At which point do you stop? If from the same gear then Solaris will probably be very near to LCD 4 in transparency but that hiss?

So, yes I would say Solaris can give multi-thousand dollar headphones a good run for their money. I am getting almost 95% of my desktop gear performance from my Solaris on a phone. I think I can live with that.

Yes to all of the above but the LCD4 treble sucks

 

[thejoker13]

I think analytics are a good thing, Utopia is analytical but has extreme energy and musicality. Doesn't mean boring.

Solaris is my favorite IEM. I've bought and sold 30 things here in like a year. The Solaris is what I've been searching for.

Your post just made me sure that the Solaris will be my next iem. I've read alot of your past posts about iem's that I've coveted, so your comment has me super excited to get these. That is high praise coming from someone like you, who has not only heard but actually owned the best of the best iem's.

 

[pfurey89]

Thank you! The funny thing is I’ve spent a ****ing metric ton of money in this hobby on a per item basis, but everything tends to hold its resale well at TOTL levels. I’ve had literally everything, but I rarely lose money when I swap items. It’s not the worst hobby for that at all. My other loves are cars and wine — very easy to lose a boatload of money on cars.

Tell Ken I helped you decide!

 

[pfurey89]

Also me and @seamon go mildly far back here. We don’t always agree with each other’s taste but when we do, you know it’s special. We both absolutely adored the a12t for example and I think that’s one of the IEM hall of famer’s for it’s time.

 

[XERO1]

I'm sure there will be some people who won't rate this IEM, as it is almost impossible to find a tuning that caters to everyone, but given the price bracket they have gone for and the sound they have achieved, it's a very impressive piece of gear.

Actually, it is impossible to create something that appeals to everyone.
"You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can never please all of the people all the time."
Just ask Jesus!

 

[Redcarmoose]

It’s impossible to make something everyone likes, because we don’t even know what we like ourselves.